Surface condenser.



H. KELLER.

SURFACE CONDENSER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 15, 1909.

1,063,394, Patented June 3, 1913.

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prove their action, and more. specifically to acitizen of Switzerland,residingat Zurich. Switzerland, have invented certain new and, itulImprovements in Surface Condensers, o-f whichthe following is aspecification.

UNITED STAiifi PATENT;

HULDREICH KELLER, 0E ZUBICH, SWITZERLAND, ASSIGNOR ToeEN-EEA-nELECrRio-Q COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK V J 1 SURFACE CONDENSER.

Application filed July 15, 1909. Serial No. 507,683.

To all whom it may concem: 1'

Be it known that I. H LDnEm-H KELLER,

The present invention relates to surface condensers and has forits obe'ct to 1mimprove the action of the means employed to extract air fromthe condenser and also to increase the capacity of the condenser tocondense exhaust steam.

For a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention,attention is directed to the accompanying description and to the claimsappended thereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which is illustrative of my invention.Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a surface condenser and acentrifugal throwingpumpfor removing i air and water of condensationfrom saidcondenser, and Fig. 2 is-a similar View showing an additionalpump for returning the condensation Water to the boiler.

Referring to-Fig. 1, 3 indicates the. easing or shell of a surfacecondenser containing tubes 4 through which the cooling or circulatingwater fiOWS. This water is admitted from a pump or other source ofsupply by the conduit 5 and is discharged by the 5 conduit 6. Exhauststeam from a turbine or other engine enters by the flanged conduit 7 atthe top of the condenser and is condensed 1 as it flows downward overthe tubes at. The condensation water is conveyed from the i under sideof the condenser by the pipe 8 to the rotor '01 impeller of thecentrifugal throwing pump 9, Located in the bottom portion ofthecondenser is an L-shaped or a other conduit 10 thatis so arranged thatit will receive air and any uncondensed gases from Withinthe casingwithout receiving the: g condensation \vater.- The entrance to saidconduit is located at suitabledistances above the lower Wall itif-itllecasing zsowihatl 1;

be contained and well" cooled ine-the :l ower portion oif the condenser"tosumilythe pipe-8. I

Under ordinary operat-ing cond-i-tions ivater \vill tend to'-a;cculnulate in tiie iower part. of. the casing, the water resultn andthat drawn from the one; draining to Specification of Letters Patent.

of throwing water.

in the condenser by the tube is ;T h

from the 0011-: 1 ti'nual"condensationof the exhaust steam-w the bottomof the sufiieien tity to ma ntaln a bodyflojn aterthere'fr in which thethrowing pump i condensed gases enter conveyed to the centrifii' il 9 bythe pipe 11; As p'uinp is rotated by the electr tor 12 it clraivswatcriofic nd the lower portion of j tl the pressure of the Watecondenser to atmosphe je p'r ss mixture is dischargeddlii ug into theopen tanker this tank the air and, escape from the W Ili'e leaves thetank by the ow; Extending into the tank" lower end submerged [a a1 16,the other end of ivl ch v. A, condenser. Owing to tliesuctionj flecterte'd by the condenser ajce the water of condensation from beautomatically co e condenser to increase ts ,efi nv jcooling;,, action.At low absol'u ee ssi resi't e ab sorption of heat fron the iincondensedgass ask-A 1.1 i mit-he absorption can be inateriall i, ncreasei ho y 7ever, by causing the gases to givenpftheir' heat to water and causing orpermi -ringe s Water to flow over the condenser tubes. utilize this factin'carrying out my'ifirvem tion and causethe Water of.condensationjtd '1flow from the tank back to "thecondenser," and as it flows through thelatter to 5b orb '90 heat from the contained-gassand deliyer or impartit to the tubesland the: Water flowing .theret-hriii glr j' LTo enhance'this action a. spraying devitfel'T s provided wh ich with advantage maytake; th green of. 5' a perforated pipe that entendslx'vellinto he bodyof the condensen. The; passageio'f water throughfthis pipe is controlledpr; thr t-tledby a lmtterflyi'alve l8g= hat mounted. on a spindle; thelatter being 15110 1 00 ided \yitlran arm 1}), Th eo iter the 1 itZObymean.

nd: i

thedpeii mi said valve sud hence the amountof struction or arrangementavery active-circulation of the condensation water 1s secured and'aquantit-yof said water is maintained in contact with some of the tubesthrough which the cooling water enters.

Since the condensation water is taken from the coolest part of thecondenser it'will be well cooled, this arrangement insuring a sufficientsupply of pure water for the pump without the use of special coolingdevices which is very desirable and especially so on received from theengine, and second to the water of condensation reconveyed to thecondenser by the pipe 16 which water has had its temperature reduced bythe action of the tubes and has been freed from air. And

further that said water will be fresh and free from impurities. Owing tothe arrangement of the parts a certain amount of water will always beavailable for the throwing pump irrespective of the amount of exhauststeam supplied to the condenser. It

will also be seen that since an abundant supply of condensation water isprovided for the throwing pump that the latter will be constantlyoperating to withdraw or pump air from the condenser casing therebyimproving the condensing operation.

In Fig. 2 is shown a modification wherein the condenser is constructedand arranged "asbefore. The water of condensation is discharged througha pipe 22 whose end is turned downward and contains a seat for thethrottle valve 23. The valve is mounted. on a stem 24 that is suitablyguided, and on the lower end of the stem is a float 25 whose position isdetermined by the level of the condensation water in the condensercasing. Water and air are removed from the condenser by the centrifugalthrowing pump 26' Condensation water is returned to the condenser by thepipe 16 as before. The condensation water and air are discharged fromthe throwing pump 26 by the pipe 13 into the tank 14. Instead ofallowing the. excess Water to flow freely from the tank .itis conveyedby pipe 27 to the suction side of the centrifugal pump 28 by means ofwhich its pressure is raised to the desired value, for example, to bereturned to the boiler supplying steam to the turbine or engine thatexhausts into the condenser. The impellers of the pumps 26 and 28 mayadvantageously be mounted on the same shaft and driven by a single motor12 which may be an electric, fluid-actuated or other. motor.

.[The centrifugal throwing pump may be constructed in a variety of ways,but I pre-,

fer to use the construction and arrangements which form thesubjects-matter of my United States Letters Patent Nos. 922,595; 987,994and 987,995.

It isto'be observed that I not only utilize the condensation water toreenter the condenser and condense the steam which is a very desirablearrangement in itself, but I can also utilize the same water for pumpingair out of the condenser, the two oper ations taking placesimultaneously. This enables me to dispense with an extra pump forextracting air which reduces the initial cost and that of maintenanceand also simplifies the system as a whole. Such broader features of theinvention disclosed as are not claimed herein are claimed inmy'copending application Serial No. 508,657.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I havedescribed the principle of operation of my invention, together with theapparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment.thereof; but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown isonly illustrative. and that the invention can be carried out by othermeans.

'Having now fully described my inven tion, what Iclaim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a condenser system, the combination of a surface condenser havinga casing in which a high degree of partial vacuum is to be maintained, acentrifugal throwing pump for simultaneously removing air and water ofcondensation from the condenser, a conduit conveying air to the pumpfrom the casing; a conduit conveying water of condensation to the pumpfrom the casing to assist in the removal of the air, means for conveyingwater of condensation from the discharge side of the pump back into thesteam space of the casing where it mingles with thesteam, absorbs heattherefrom and gives it up to the cooling surfaces of the condenser, andmeans for conveying away the excess water of condensation.

2. In a condenser system, the combination of a surface condenser havingwatercooled surfaces and a casing in which a high degree of partialvacuum is to be maintained, a centrifugal throwing pump, a conduitconveying water of condensation from the lower portion of the casing tothe inlet side of the pump. a conduit conveying air and uncondensedgases from the casing to the pump to be acted upon by the throwingwater, an open receptacle that receives the discharge from the pump andin which the air separates from the throwing water, and a conduit thatconveys water of condensation from the receptacle back to the casingunder the suction efi'ect due to the vacuum noeaeae tion of a'surfacevcondenser having cooling surfaces and a casing in which a highdegree of partial vacuum is to be maintained, means for coolingsaidsurface, a centrifugal throwing pump that withdraws air and waterofcondensation from the condenser and increases its pressure, a receptaclethat receives said. air and water,'-a conduit one end of which issubmerged in the water in thereceptacle and the other end enters thecasing to return water of condensation thereto under the suct-ionetfectof the low pressure in the casing, and a spraying device in the steamspace of the casing which is connected'with the discharge end of theconduit. I r

4. In a condenser system, the combination of a surface condenser havingcooling surfaces and a casing in which a high degree of partial vacuumis to be maintained, means for cooling said surfaces, a centrifugalthrowing pump that withdraws air and water of condensation from thecondenser and increases its pressure, a receptacle that receives saidair: and water, a conduit, one endof which is submerged in the water inthe receptacle and the other end enters the casing to return waterof'condensation thereto under the suction effect due to the partialvacuum in the casing, a spraying device arranged in the steam space ofthe casing which is connected to the discharge end of the conduit, avalve located in the conduitbetween the receptacle and said device, andmeans for operating the valve. i

5. In a condenser system, the combination of a surface condenser havingcooling surfaces and a casing in which a high degree of partial vacuumis to be maintained, means for cooling said surfaces, a centrifugal pumpthat withdraws water of condensation from the condenser and increasesits pressure, a receptacle that receives said water, .a conduit, one endof which is submerged in the water in the receptacle and the other endenters the casing to return water of con- 'densation thereto, a sprayingdevice connected with the discharge'end of the con-- duit, a valve inthe conduit situated within the casing for controlling the ,rentrance ofwater of condensation thereto, and afloat which actuates the valve andwhose position is determined by the level of said water in the casing.

6. In a condenser system, the combination of a surface condenser havinga casing and tubes through which cooling water is circulated, a throwingpump for removing air and water of condensation from the condenser,means' for returning water discharged from the pump to the steam spaceof the casing, a device for maintaining a body of water of condensationin the lower portion of the casing in contact with some of the tubesthrough which the cooling water enters, a conduit for conveying water ofcondensation from said portion of the casing to the pump to act asthrowing water therein, a conduit for conveying air from the region ofthe condenser above said body of water to be acted upon by throwingwater, and means for removing surplus water of condensation from thesystem.

7. A surface condenser containing tubes through which cooling water iscirculated, .in combinatlon with a centrifugal throwing pump whichsimultaneously removes water of condensation and uncondensed gases, aconduit between the condenser and pump for conveying said water alone tothe pump, a second conduit between the condenser and the pump forconveying said gases alone-to the pump to be acted upon by the throwingwater, means for returning a portion of the water, of condensation tothe condenser to increase its effective action, and a regulator forcontrolling the amount of water that reenters the condenserandnnaintaining a sup ply therein for the throwing pump.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 16th day of June,1909.

HULDREIOH KELLER.

Witnesses Hninnrcir BoL'rsHAUsnR, CARL GUBLnn-.

